Have Personality Disorder, Will Rule Russia: An Iconoclastic History by a Recovering Russophile

By Jennifer Eremeeva

“I always imagine Russian history,” suggests American writer and veteran expatriate, Jennifer Eremeeva, “on a huge, 3D IMAX screen, surround sound booming with a jumbo bucket of popcorn in your lap and huge blue drink at your side.” Eremeeva should know: as a former tour guide and Ivy League-educated historian, Eremeeva is adept at making Russia’s complex history both entertaining and digestible for non-academics. She strolls expertly but lightly through her material, tracing the winning formula for Russia’s effective rulers back to the Tatar Mongols: revealing why Ivan may not have been so Terrible; explaining why Catherine so totally awesome; and asserting that neither Peter the Great nor Stalin would ever tweet anything.

Eremeeva encourages us to peek inside Empress Elizabeth’s baroque boudoir; she deconstructs Gorbachev’s curiously-split personality, and shows us exactly where the bodies are buried. Eremeeva’s unique fusion of humor and history, and inimitable writing style brings the riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma that is Russia into hilarious focus in this compact and highly readable guide to thirteen centuries of her history.

Fans of Eremeeva’s blogs, columns, and her full-length book, Lenin Lives Next Door: Marriage, Martinis, and Mayhem in Moscow are sure to enjoy this further exploration of Russia’s soft and hilarious underbelly. For readers embarking on a visit to Russia or an exploration of the country’s rich literature and culture, Have Personality Disorder, Will Rule Russia offers a succinct, informative, and highly entertaining introduction to the country’s complex and expansive history.

To download Jennifer Eremeeva’s recommendations for further reading about medieval and imperial Russia, the Romanovs, and current events in the Russian Federation, visit her web site.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jennifer Eremeeva
• Release date: Sep 18, 2015
• ISBN: 9780986063923

Jennifer Eremeeva

Jennifer Eremeeva is an American writer based in Moscow, Russia. Jennifer received a Bachelor of Arts in Russian Area Studies from Columbia University, after which she worked in the travel industry in the Former Soviet Union for ten years, crafting innovative cultural and leisure programs for boutique tour operators and international cruise lines. She also worked in Moscow in the hotel, airline, and financial services sector before becoming a full-time writer in 2006. Jennifer’s varied interests include Russian history, social history, culture, current events, cuisine, art and architecture; the Romanov dynasty, cooking, culinary history, European Royalty from 1837-1918, travel, and personal finance. She is a popular blogger and columnist, contributing articles and features to a wide range of publications, including Reuters, BBC’s Russia Service, The Moscow Times, Russian Life, City Style & Living, and Russia Beyond the Headlines, a monthly color supplement distributed in The Washington Post, The Daily Telegraph, Le Figaro, El Pais, La Repubblica, Süddeutsche Zeitung, and The Times of India. Jennifer has been interviewed about life in Russia by National Public Radio, the Voice of Russia, Voice of America, and Russia’s Channel One. She writes a popular travel blog for leading American tour operator, Alexander+Roberts. She is a popular public speaker and lecturer. Jennifer created and curates Moscow’s leading English-language food blog, “The Moscovore” Culinary Adventures in the Russian Capital,” which she designed to help aspiring cooks and expatriates find and enjoy great food in Moscow. She later incorporated The Moscovore into her author website, where she continues to blog about food, history, daily life, and the changing political situation in her adopted country. Jennifer is the author of a novel about life in the world’s largest country: Lenin Lives Next Door: Marriage, Martinis, and Mayhem in Moscow, and a humorous non-fiction guide to Russian history, Have Personality Disorder, Will Rule Russia. Both books were published in February 2014 to coincide with the Olympic games in Sochi Russia. Lenin Lives Next Door was shortlisted for a total of twelve prestigious independent publishing awards and has garnered considerable critical acclaim. Jennifer is currently finishing the sequel to Lenin Lives Next Door, a novel, which will reunite readers with the engaging expat and Russian protagonists of Lenin Lives Next Door as they confront the challenges of Russia’s escalating anti-foreigner sentiment in the wake of its annexation of Crimea and asymmetrical war with Ukraine. Jennifer maintains lively contact with her thousands of readers, fellow historians, and cooks through her own website, and social media. She is a passionate supporter of libraries and independent bookshops throughout the world and available for public appearances, lectures, and fundraising events on request. For more information on Jennifer, and to enjoy more of her writing, visit http://jennifereremeeva.com.